Hunting on the cheap.
 

I read about all kinds of expensive hunts and gear but I can only admire from afar.
I'm sure there are others out there like me. I try not to spend a lot on my hunting. When I first started hunting it was with an SKS rifle and a used PSE bow. My first tree stand was made from 2x4's and plywood, and I could move it from tree to tree. I have hunted mostly public land. In the last 8 years my luck has been pretty good and I've killed a almost a dozen deer.
When I started hunting I didn't have much money. Times have changed and I have been fortunate but I still try to squeeze as much out of my gear as I can. My hunting boots are about 5 years old and I plan to wear them for another 5 years. My camo pants and shirts are from when I was in the Army in the late 90's. Last year I was given a nice compression thermal shirt in camo and some gloves that are built to hold chemical heaters in the back. My rifle and scope combo cost me about 400 and I'm very happy with it. My crossbow cost me about 125 9 years ago and it's taken most of my deer. I have a 10 + year old hand me down muzzle loader that I will be using for the second year. My one big expense this year is a scope for the muzzle loader that will run me about 150 including mounts. If all goes well I plan to use that for many years. I kicked in 150 bucks 15 years ago to be part of a hunt club. Spent sweat equity building a cabin and the next year we lost the lease. I don't pay to hunt any more. I just hunt public land or ask for permission to hunt on land of people I know. My biggest expense will be gas i the truck this year. I don't have a problem in the world with people spending lots of money or getting nice shiney new stuff, I'm just super tight on a dollar and want to buy stuff that lasts a long time.

So What's my point. I guess I have made an effort to Spend less and get the hunting done. I totally enjoy most of the things I have bought but I try to buy less and just make do with what I have. I certainly don't look down on anyone who spends more hunting or think I'm superior, I just have tried to incorporate my cheapskate nature into my hunting as well. I was just wondering if there were others out there who also feel somewhat out of place when they hear about 600+ dollar bows and 1500+ dollar rifle packages.

[QUOTE=dpv;3836569]I read about all kinds of expensive hunts and gear but I can only admire from afar.
I'm sure there are others out there like me. I try not to spend a lot on my hunting. When I first started hunting it was with an SKS rifle and a used PSE bow. My first tree stand was made from 2x4's and plywood, and I could move it from tree to tree. I have hunted mostly public land. In the last 8 years my luck has been pretty good and I've killed a almost a dozen deer.
When I started hunting I didn't have much money. Times have changed and I have been fortunate but I still try to squeeze as much out of my gear as I can. My hunting boots are about 5 years old and I plan to wear them for another 5 years. My camo pants and shirts are from when I was in the Army in the late 90's. Last year I was given a nice compression thermal shirt in camo and some gloves that are built to hold chemical heaters in the back. My rifle and scope combo cost me about 400 and I'm very happy with it. My crossbow cost me about 125 9 years ago and it's taken most of my deer. I have a 10 + year old hand me down muzzle loader that I will be using for the second year. My one big expense this year is a scope for the muzzle loader that will run me about 150 including mounts. If all goes well I plan to use that for many years. I kicked in 150 bucks 15 years ago to be part of a hunt club. Spent sweat equity building a cabin and the next year we lost the lease. I don't pay to hunt any more. I just hunt public land or ask for permission to hunt on land of people I know. My biggest expense will be gas i the truck this year. I don't have a problem in the world with people spending lots of money or getting nice shiney new stuff, I'm just super tight on a dollar and want to buy stuff that lasts a long time.[/
QUOTE]

Did u have a question or are you just venting? Kind of lost on your post? Lol sorry

Nothing wrong with making due with what we have, I think a lot of us are doing that. There are a lot of things that I could use and should spend good money for them, such as new binos. But until then I'll use what I have.

Alot of people these days get caught up in the "latest and greatest"

My most expensive hunting gun is a .50 cal Hawken I built a couple yrs ago. It has over 40 hours of working on it, is beautiful, and its functional.

Also some things, I prefer to build myself. Its not being cheap, its being resourceful and using my head. (plus keeps me out of trouble and in my mancave)

I may be wrong but I think he is bragging. Some folks, like me, end up paying $200-300 a pound for venison and he doesn't.

I don't mind, though. The economy needs a boost and I am trying to do my part. Cheers/bg

You could easily spend $5000 getting set up on archery! Or a few hundred dollars and some resourcefulness you could also get what is needed. You have to ask yourself the questions:
- Will this item make a big enough difference to merit it as needed?
- If absolutely needed will a substitute at half the cost suffice?
As I look at all the equipment now I shake my head and wonder "Where do guys get the money to buy this?" A simple release that you could get for $20 a few years back is now more like $89! Obviously, you will have to fork out money for some essentials, like broadheads, bullets, and arrows. But if not careful, you can find yourself buying one unneeded item after another.

Know the feeling
 

Never had a problem with the newbies getting all that new stuff.

I mean, how are they suppose to understand that a couple of my forty year old Shetland wool sweaters, work good in the cold weather. Now that would only push the reasoning power of any thirty year old hunter.

:sheep:

I edited my original post to address what my point is. I'm wondering if I'm not out of touch.

I hunt as simply as I possibly can. I've been bowhunting since 1980 and I've had 2 bows...and have killed about 75 deer with them in that time. I've had about 10 tree stands in that time, with the most expensive being about $150. I have friends that spend more on a single bow than I have probably spend on equipment in 30 years. Does that make us different? Yes...but not in a good or bad way. What someone else does doesn't affect what I do. I still respect the animals that they harvest the same as mine. It's still hunting.

When I rifle/muzzleloader hunt, I take my gun, ammo, some grub...and take off walking. That's what I learned, and that's what I do. Some sit in a stand all day w/ tons of equipment. That's fine. I don't think an ounce less of someone that does that. It's just not me.

My wife calls me cheap. I think I'm simple...LOL

I hunt because I enjoy it. If there is a product out there that allows me to enjoy hunting more or allows me to be a more effective hunter then so be it. If I can afford it I have no problem trying the latest and greatest.

To give you an example, I like Cabela's Dry-Plus outterwear. It keeps me dry and warm and allows me to stay in the field longer. Also a lazer range finder allows me to be a more effective hunter. I am frugal with my money but why not take advantage of the latest technologies.

I have several friends that are "cheap". No other word for it. Without exception, all are nice guys. I have learned, thought, not to go out to dinner or drinking with them.

I probably spend toward the lower end. I still buy a fair amount of stuff, but I shop around a lot, particularly online. I'd guess 3/4 of what I've bought has been from Amazon or Ebay. I buy deer hunting stuff in February and turkey in June (Dick's is more prone to clearancing their merchandise than other outdoor retailers). I bought my bow used, and it's fine.
That said, there are times when money spent = quality. I put a lower end Bushnell scope on my muzzleloader, and that was a mistake. After 2 years, I went to the range to site in for the year. Tried to make an adjustment, and the scope wouldn't move left to right (still moved up and down). I assume it wasn't durable enough and the muzzleloader shook it apart internally. Replaced it with a mid-grade Nikon designed for an muzzleloader, and, so far, so good.

Yep.

Its all relative. I've never paid for a guided hunt, but I do pay for nice equipment like a range finder, nice scope for my rifle, nice climbing stand, etc. I keep my total spending on all my hobbies to a pretty reasonable level, and I just try to stay away from buying gimmicky things, but I don't have any problem dropping several hundred dollars on a new piece of equipment that will really improve my experience.

Some can afford all the new items and some can't. We have 5 kids and a lot of expenses. I am always preaching to my wife how we need to economize. If I then go out and buy a new $600 bow package when I already have a bow, it won't go over too well. If I was a single guy, or retired, it would be different. But for now, I have to put my family (and marriage) first. Generally, if I buy new items now, it will be because my son needs some gear to use. That is how we picked up a muzzleloader last year - I will be using this while my son uses my regular deer rifle. And the muzzleloader also gives me an additional ML gun season so it serves several purposes.

One of the guys that shoots here has come up with a new latest model muzzle loader every year for the last eight years This year it is the Knight Mountaineer. He is the same way with shotguns. Every year it is the same thing; “This is the best gun I have ever shot”. He gets new cloths and boots every season and gives away last years outfits. Does this make him more successful in the field? Hell no, he hasn't filled his deer or turkey tags in three years. He thinks that anyone who does not do as he does is nuts. I thought that he would have a stroke when he found out that my go to gun for pheasants is a single shot 410 I got back in 1947 when I was ten. My turkey shotgun is a Western Field pump that my deceased father-in-law bought back in the thirties that I put turkey sights on. My center fire rifle for deer is my Winchester 94 30-30 that I bought when I was 14. I have been wearing the same boots for ten years. I have nothing against new technology but I figure that if what I already have does the job why replace it. I do spend quite a bit on side lock smoke poles but that is a hobby rather than guns I need for hunting.

Dpv...I think You started an interesting Post,some times we all get caught up in the "Buy New Hype" and get the newest gear out there on the Market!I usually buy products that others have tried out that really work or that I think makes pretty good sense out in the field.I still use the same Natural Gear Camo Clothes I bought over 5 years ago and continue to wash them in scent-free detergent and just spray them down with scent-killer when I'm ready to go out Hunting...I bought a cheap pair of Redhead rubber boots that split and fell apart...so sometimes cheaper isn't always better in some cases. LOL

Still I watch what I spend and if I want a new Gun/Rifle I shop around and find the best deal...I've been using the same Rifle (Remington 30-06) my Dad gave me over 25 years ago,until recently (the last 5 or 6 years) I have been lucky enough to buy a few new Rifles after saving and paying everything off to be debt free....still I watch what I spend.

It depends how much you hunt. When I was a kid I suffered through the winter hunting with any thing I could come up with to wear that was cheap. I was overseas quite a few years and stopped hunting. When I started again, I bought a Winchester Camo-orange hunting out fit on sale at K-MART. It was around $100 dollars, a lot back then. I could have kicked myself for not saving the money and buying something like that years before. It lasted me about 20 years, and I hunt some of the worse conditions you can imagine. My problem with people that run out and buy the newest junk is it lets the clothing manufacturers sell junk. I looked and looked to replace my Winchester outfit and was looking for quality over cost and you simply can't find it anymore. I Checked Cabela's and their heavy coats and overalls would not last two deer seasons. The Woolrich orange coats had pockets so thin I would be afraid to carry a box of ammo in one. If more people refused to buy this junk maybe the manufactures would have to make a better product.

Gunplummer:

I couldn't agree with you more. It is so hard to find any gear that was made to last that at times I just give up. It kills me when someone comes out to shoot with a new gun that has plastic sights and stock. I have a pair of leather fronted canvas field pants that I have had for about thirty years that are about to give up and have been looking for a replacement. The few that I have looked at wouldn't last a full season in the brush. The more people who buy this junk the poorer quality it gets. I bought a orange vest last year that will have to be replaced before the season starts so I am thinking about having one made out of heavy material with reinforced pockets. God forbid my lined canvas hunting jacket wears out, I wouldn't know where to go to replace it.

Yes it's nuts.

I'm glad you guys are better at writing that I am. I couldn't quite express it as well as you all did. Again, I have to say I can probably afford more than I buy. I have a few items I spent big money on....big to me. I bought a Summit Viper II about 6years ago to replace a terrible climber I had bought based on price and name I only replaced because it was falling apart and unsafe. The Summit is still in great shape and is one of the best purchases I have ever made. In addition to lifting me off the ground and increasing my viewpoint, I feel that it also makes me safer because it gets me off the ground where I am less likely to be mistaken for a deer (important because I hunt public land and have no say in the people who share my hunting space.) There are definately some good buys out there and also a ton of crap. I got sucked into the scent control vortex about 15 years ago and spent more time planning how to deoderize my clothing than I spent actually planning where I would hunt. Now, I get out in the woods....no matter what, that is the key. Buy what you need to get you out in the woods so you can remain comfortable enough to stay out there and hunt. If you get cold feet, spend your money on boots and socks..and maybe heat packets. IF your hands get cold (me) gloves that will hold chemical heaters are awesome. if you have to choose between the most super duper new cartridge in your rifle or a decent quality scope or site setup for an average rifle, then go with the sights/optics. That's what I mean by hunting on the cheap.......If all you have is a wool sweater , blaze orange vest and borrowed shotgun then that's how you hunt.....and that is how tens of thousands of deer have been dragged out of the woods. New,, shiney stuff is always cool to have but not always better and certainly not always needed.

I think it really depends on where your priorities are. I have always been able to buy the latest and greatest if I wanted it but I put my family first and usually just went with the bare necessities for myself. Even now that my kids are raised and are through college, I still pretty much hunt with what I've always had with the exception of a couple used shotguns and some new camo from Wal-Mart. The bottom line is I have every thing I need to be a successful hunter and I'm not into keeping up with the Jones' or wanting to impress anyone with my equipment.

I have always bought with the idea it must last me at least 10 years on any major purchase. That way I buy good durable items that will work for my style of hunting. Getting the latest gear every year does two things. 1.) Wastes your hard earned money as now you have unused equipment sitting in a closet that you spent a lot of money one. 2.) It encourages the suppliers and manufacturers to come out with different stuff that doesn't work, year after year, and they charge higher and higher prices because after all "It is the latest and greatest" I am sorry but If I buy a gun or bow or clothes I will get what will work for me and could care less if it has a green light or a red light as long as I can sight on the animal and kill it ethically.

We the hunters have let ourselves be sold a bill of goods that pricier is better and small changes in an item makes it better so it MUST cost more. I will stay with the philosophy my father taught me and that is buy what works, make it last and use it often. I am still using a shotgun I bought in 1985 and a rifle I bought in 1989. Both kill deer so why should I replace them. Got my Remington 1100 3 years ago because my brother passed away. Otherwise I would never have gotten one. Bow is one another brother gave me 10 years ago and it still drops deer. Why change?

Can I afford the latest and greatest. Yes I can. Do I need the latest and greates? No I don't.

What gets me is the term "affordable" has gone from meaning 20-50 bucks to something that costs over 250 bucks. To many that is not affordable that is sinfully priced.

But each to their own wallet and each to their own style of hunting. As I always say - Enjoying your self out in the woods and eating venisson are two of the most enjoyable things in life.

I have an uncle that goes hunting wearing his old BDU pants that have paint stains on them, thermals, a sweatshirt and an orange vest. He carries his old ALICE pack, a fanny pack and his 30.06 Savage with an el cheapo walmart scope w/ see thru mounts.

He has killed more deer then anybody I know.

I know some high rollers, glad I know them and am the kind of person that can enjoy what others have without thinking about what I don't.

Just seeing a friends full male lion mount with a full zebra in it's mouth is something to see. Hope he got his 14' long 4' wide crock taken with his latest bow made into a coffee table for his game room lined on both side with over a dozen cape buffalo. :)

Key is being thankful for whatever you have and in that there's no room for gripping about what others have you don't. It's just stuff that the sellers of it are going to have to eventually sell to us lower class people. :)

What have you finally found?

Kinda glad this thread got a bump by a spammer ‘cause I missed it.

I pretty much agree with you, DVP (delivery versus payment??). I started hunting 3 years ago and bought very basic stuff to start out with (BDUs and an ALICE pack at the surplus store, a Remington 870, and some nice Kenetrek boots). Through the little experience I’ve gained in the field, I’ve been able to determine what’s “missing” and then figure out ways to bridge the gap (one thing I figured out I was missing was warmer clothes…and I figured that out real fast!!). I don’t believe in the latest and greatest as a rule, but I also don’t believe in being cheap. Meaning, if I determine I am going to get something because it fulfills a hunting need (hunting “desire” is probably more accurate), I am not going to buy the cheapest thing I can find to do so. If I am going to buy something, it is going to be a quality purchase. Not necessarily the “latest and greatest”, but something that will do its job well and will last. If I can’t afford, it, I will save for it until I can afford it instead of buying a cheap substitute. I really want a climbing tree stand, and I think the Equalizer will fit my needs the best. I probably will not be able to afford one this year, so I will probably do without (or, I might buy something used that I can sell for the price I paid when the time comes).

When I purchased my first muzzleloader last year, I was “cheap” and bought the TC Omega Z5. I got it in the off season for $225 or thereabouts. I knew that, with a little elbow grease, I could get it to shoot as well as a $5-600 Omega (and it does). Granted, the stock ain’t nearly as nice and I need to keep on top of it to prevent rust/corrosion more than I would one with a stainless barrel, but it will kill a deer just as dead just as accurately, and I know its core components are quality. However, I went ahead and bought “nicer than a cheapie” scope because I don’t think a $75 BSA will cut it. I got the Leupold Ultimate Slam, a very nice scope for the money…not to mention a lifetime warranty that may come in handy (but hopefully not!), and I bought a nicer mount which was worth it to me (the DNZ Game Reaper).

So, to sum up, I don’t believe in gimmicks but I believe in quality and getting equipment that will help you accomplish your goals. If one does a lot of hunting up in the mountains (especially if camping out), then there is specialized lightweight gear that one might consider beneficial, and it ain’t cheap (lightweight + durable = expensive). One could do fine without the specialized gear, but would probably fare better with it. It just depends on your needs and your budget.

Visited the above mentioned person one year, he sent me home with several things he'd canned that year from his garden. Funny guy. Had dinner in his 10,000,000 home on the Potomac river last year. 5 bucks is a lot of money to me. Brother taught him to hunt and that's how I know him. Brother and I sat in his truck last year listening on his cell phone while the guy told us about his doe he'd taken that morning with more excitement than an elephant hunt. Guys idea of stand hunting is getting way up in a tree less than 6'. :) His retelling of that doe hunt in his neighborhood dragging in a dead body from the Potomac was a gut buster.

Guys attitude is anything but ruiness to hunting, his spending is another story. :)

If you are paying that much for venison, you need to give me a call... I'll sell it for $50 a pound.... :s2::s2::s2:

I hunt on a very tight budget but what I try to do is buy sometrhing new each year. This year I spoiled myself. I got a new bow and also bought a trail cam. The trail cam has been myt favorite purchase to date its really cool to see what's happening when I ain't there and also allows ,e to sit in the stand with more confidence knowing I consistently have deer coming in that I will be happy to take.when I want something new I do a lot of research on it then I look for a great deal on ebay. I have gotten some really nicfe equipment and saved tons of money

A great example is scopes. I hunted for 25 years with a scope that was considered pretty good at the time. I replaced it with a scope that is far superior and only cost about $100. and keep hearing I should be spending several times that amount to get a scope worth using.